Herd Is Where The Heart Is
by Celeste38
Summary: My alternate ending to Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaur. The herd, lead by the unusual yet likable Buck, make their way back home after reuniting with Sid...but they're not quite out of the woods yet.
1. Chapter 1

**This tale is an alternate ending for Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaur, and has been stewing in the back of my mind since I saw the movie in theaters. I've been slowly writing this story since the movie came out, and (after re-reading it god knows how many times until I was satisfied) I now feel ready to present to you Part 1 of this Two-Shot fanfic. I'm sure the dialogue I took from the movie isn't entirely accurate, and may be a little misplaced, so you'll have to forgive me if that is indeed so. **

**I do not own any of the characters in this story, nor do I own the franchise they come from. Please, Enjoy.**

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Things seemed to be finally looking up for the strange herd when Buck and the twins returned with Sid, reuniting the oddball family. Everyone was relieved and excited at the same time as they all crowded around Ellie and the newborn she held cautiously in her trunk. Awestruck that such a beautiful baby could be born into such a terrifying world.

"What should we call her?"

"I was thinking Ellie…or Little Ellie…"

"How about, Peaches?"

The couple shared a smile at the name, both feeling it was delightfully appropriate for their daughter as they smiled down at her. They were almost unaware of the new arrivals, until the two possums squirmed their way in-between them to get a look at their niece. Anticipating all the fun they were going to have with her once she was old enough to play.

"Congratulations Manny, old buddy!" Sid said cheerfully, fears of rejection buried in the back of his mind as he hugged the mammoth in celebration. A little upset when his friend jokingly shoved him away with his trunk. "It's…great to be back…"

Diego, feeling especially giddy, laughed as he looked down at the little girl. Thinking fondly back a couple of years, when a different child had been under their care. Remembering how he had become friends with the others because of the human infant, and smiling as a particularly happy memory came to mind. "Hey squirt! Where's the baby?"

The other two laughed as they watched the saber play the childish game with the newborn, and it wasn't long before Ellie and her brothers joined in on the fun.

The joyful laughter and excitement was contagious, and Buck found himself basking in the glow emanating from the strange yet loving group. Hazy memories of his old life floated into his mind as he watched them, and a bittersweet smile came to his face.

"I almost forgot what it was like to be part of a herd…" He whispered, unnoticed by the others as they interacted with the baby.

Diego soon grew tired of the game he had been playing with the little girl, and Sid quickly positioned himself to take over. Earning equally delighted giggles from Peaches as he made his goofy faces, while he wondered how the little dinosaurs he had briefly adopted as his own were doing. No longer distrusting their mother's ability to care for them as he had before, when he had misunderstood and thought she had abandoned them.

He was glad he was wrong about her, and had reluctantly admit to himself that they were better left in her care after all. But he sure was going to miss them, and regret that he didn't get the chance to say good-bye.

"All right, Sid. That's enough; we really should get going now." Manny said in an authoritive tone as he glanced at the rocky formations around them. Fearful that the dinosaurs that had attacked them before were regrouping and preparing to try again, something he really didn't want to have to deal with. "If we're lucky, we'll get out of this freaky place before nightfall."

The sloth and the twins groaned in disappointment at the command, but quickly stopped playing with the baby and began following Buck as he resumed leadership over the group. He was quick to direct them off of the unstable rocks, and back onto the solid ground of the equally dangerous jungle. In no time they were once again travelling in the midst of the giant beasts of the underground paradise, feeling as tiny and as insignificant as insects.

"So, how did you manage to get away from Mama Dinosaur?" Eddie asked Sid after they had been walking a while. Sharing a smirk with his brother as they waited to hear the sloth's response; they already had their assumptions, but were eager to hear the outcast of the group say them out loud.

"I didn't get away at all, and I wasn't even trying to." The sloth replied without giving it a second thought, he was too busy admiring the scenery around him. "I fell off her back when a branch hit me, her and the kiddies were walking too fast to notice and they accidently left me behind."

Manny made a face, confused, and glanced over his shoulder at the smaller animal.

"You made friends with her?" Ellie asked with a delighted smile on her face. "Aw, that's really sweet!"

Sid smiled back as he watched her put the baby down and allow child to walk, with wobbly legs, on its own. The others, aside from Buck who didn't find it strange in the slightest, looked dumbfounded at his comment. "Yeah, well…she wasn't all that bad once you got to know her."

"Quite a friendly and protective lot they are, actually. Unless you're the unfortunate sap they set their sights on for supper. " The weasel piped up, giving the herd a toothy grin when their stares were redirected towards him. "The idea that a family of them would get chummy with a mammal isn't really that hard to imagine though; I mean, look at your odd little herd. Three mammoths, two possums, a sloth, and a saber all hanging out together like it's nobody's business?"

Diego laughed, "He's got a point."

"We're not going after them, you know." Manny said sternly to Sid, sighing in annoyance when he noticed his friend preparing to make some sort of argument. "Just because you kidnapped them, doesn't make them your kids. They're back with their mother, who they should have been with in the first place, and we should go back home!"

"I didn't kidnap them," The sloth retorted, stopping and putting his hands on his hips. "I already told you; I mistakenly thought she had abandoned them, she was nowhere to be found when I fell through the ice and stumbled across those eggs."

"You sure you just _happened_ to come across them?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

The stress and frustration that had built up over the last few days had reached their breaking point for Manny as he argued with the other mammal, and he found that he couldn't stop himself from letting it all out on the sloth; the person who had been the unintentional source of it all. "Just admit it, you were jealous that I was going to have a kid with Ellie, and so you went looking for one of your own."

To say he felt hurt was an understatement, and Sid instead stared at the mammoth in disbelief.

"What? No!"

"The neighboring herd's kids told us you tried getting them to hang out with you, why?"

As the argument escalated, making everyone increasingly uncomfortable, Peaches began to wander off unnoticed. Giggling at the sight of a beautiful flower that had caught her eye, reaching out her little trunk as she slowly wobbled over to it.

"I was trying to make some new friends." The sloth admit shakily, beginning to feel emotional. "I saw those kids and thought they'd be easier to befriend, I was never jealous of you!"

Diego hung his head a little in shame as the heated exchange came to a close, realizing his role in the whole thing. He had told Sid that Manny didn't need them anymore now that he had a new family, and he had been the one to encourage the smaller mammal to start making new friends in case the arrival of the baby distanced them. The saber was merely trying to prepare Sid for the unfortunate possibility that his friendship with Manny might not last; he didn't expect his words to hit so hard.

The silence that had washed over the group was unnerving, and Manny was soon confronted by Ellie's angry glare. The twins suppressed their giggles as they imagined the rant she was about to unload on her mate. While Diego; feeling guilty but unable to speak up, avoided looking at anything else but his two front paws.

"Psh, and you all act like I'm overly dramatic." Sid grumbled, letting out a frustrated breath before taking a look at the scenery once more. He decided that observing the beauty of nature would help soothe him, and hoped that once everyone calmed down they'd resume their trek back to the surface. His eyes settled on Peaches, and a small smile came to his face at the sight of her. However; when he noticed what she was reaching for, his heart plummeted in terror.

Buck, who was feeling incredibly uncomfortable and extremely out-of-place after the episode that had just occurred between the herd, also let his eyes wander. Stopping when he noticed the fearful look that came to the sloth's face, and following the other animal's gaze…only to find himself sharing a similar look of horror at the scene unfolding before him.

Both animals recognized the blossom that had attracted the child's attention; and both had seen, in their time in the lost world, the horrible thing the plant could do. Their reactions were instantaneous.

"Peaches, don't!"

"Look out, pet!"

Buck quickly threw his knife at the flower, slicing it in two while its dart shot out, just as the sloth dashed forward and threw himself into the baby mammoth. Pushing her out of harms way. The chaos drew the attention of the rest of the herd, and they watched as the weasel grabbed the child by her trunk and dragged her away from the shade of the trees and into the light. The fearful worry on his face was unmistakable as he ran his fingers though her fur thoroughly, praying she hadn't been hit after all.

Sid had managed to shove Peaches away before the deceptively beautiful bloom shot its barb at the little mammoth, but wasn't fast enough to avoid the deadly dart himself. A sharp hiss of pain; unnoticed by his fellow herd members in their panic, escaped through gritted teeth as he clutched the arm it had penetrated, noticing the quick discoloration underneath the fur around the spot. He was suddenly feeling very hot, but shook his head to try and ignore it as he staggered forward to check and make sure Manny and Ellie's daughter was okay.

"Are you alright, lovey?" Buck was asking the baby as he and the others surrounded her, checking for any sign of the poisonous barb sticking out of her thick fur. Relief washed over all of them when it was determined she had been shoved out of the way in time. "You must listen to Uncle Buck now, dearie, and stay away from anything pretty in this place. Chances are it's dangerous!"

The other members of the herd exchanged looks, with Ellie clutching her child protectively in her trunk, as they recalled their horrifying encounter with another deadly flower a couple of days earlier. Meanwhile; the slightly insane weasel, feeling like something was wrong, quickly scanned the ground around them for dart that had narrowly missed the little mammoth.

"This place is so freaky…" Crash whined childishly, looking at his equally immature brother for support. The two of them clung to each other fearfully before quickly scampering over to their sister and climbing up onto her back.

Manny rolled his eyes, and then plucked the twins off of his mate. "Uh, I don't think so. Ellie just gave birth to your niece; she's probably exhausted and doesn't need your extra weight!"

"Aw, come on!" Eddie began to protest, until he noticed Sid slowly approaching them in a daze. "Dude, you don't look so good. You're not going to throw up are ya?"

Buck, who had been looking around at the dirt floor beneath them, straightened up at the remark and spun around. Rushing forward like lightening and successfully catching the sloth in his arms as the weak animal swayed on its feet and nearly collapsed. "Steady there, matey…"

"I…wasn't fast enough…" was the slurred response.

"Sid?"

Manny and Diego approached their fallen friend; worry was evident on both their faces, as they watched the weasel check him over. The twins climbed up onto their sister's tusks, careful of the baby wrapped safely in her trunk, and stood on their tiptoes to get a better look. While Ellie herself looked down at her child, and then back at the sloth as a realization came to her mind.

"You okay, buddy?" Diego asked; a horrible feeling washed over him as the question passed his lips.

Buck laid the half-conscious sloth onto his back, noticing the poisonous barb in the other animal's arm and quickly pulling it out. "I feared as much…"

Manny's eyes widened at the whispered words. "Is he going to be okay?"

Instead of answering the question, the weasel frantically flung the dart aside and attempted to suck the poison out of Sid's arm. Knowing the venom was likely to already be in the sloth's system, but determined to give it a try if it meant delaying the other animal's death long enough to try and find the antidote to save him. A roar in the distance; however, made him, and the rest of the herd, freeze in panic.

"T-that's…not the…missus…" Sid stammered weakly, opening his eyes at the horrifying sound. He winced a little as he was hastily pulled back onto his uneasy feet, and thrust gently forward. Being caught in the powerful paws and the equally powerful trunk of his two best friends, who looked down at him with undisclosed worry.

"What do you mean?" Crash asked, shifting his gaze over to his idol fearfully. Gulping when another roar rang out in the jungle surrounding them, and noticing it was closer this time.

"He means…" Buck growled in a mixture of annoyance, worry, and fear. "…that Rudy has horrible timing!"

A collective shiver ran down everyone's spines as they each turned in the direction of the sound. Wondering how on earth they were going to be able to defend themselves against the monster they had heard such horrifying stories about. The weasel glanced over at Sid and the rest of the herd, trying to determine the best course of action that would benefit everyone as the sound of thunderous footsteps loudly approached them. His ears flattened against his head as he began to pace, and a mixture of emotions coursed through him as he turned to the group.

They needed to act fast if they were going to get out of this alive.

"Alright, listen up!" He barked, his eye looking over each member of the herd before settling on the twins. "We need to go about this quickly and smoothly if you lot want to make it out of this little slice of hellish paradise in one piece. You two need to go out into the jungle, carefully, and look for the slimy black lizards with red and yellow dots speckled on their skin…"

"Why do we have to do that? Is Rudy allergic to them or something?" Eddie asked, interrupting his mentor. Startled when the weasel grabbed his fur roughly, something he had not been expecting, and sternly stared him in the eye.

"No." Buck snarled in annoyance as he shoved the irritating possum away and began to explain in urgency. "The slime coating those gross little lizards may be able to save your floppy friend!"

"How do you know it'll work at all?" Manny asked, his doubts over the insane animal's knowledge resurfacing in his panic over the whole situation.

"Trust me." The weasel snapped, turning his gaze to the mammoth. Frustrated by the questions, and the doubts, that was bubbling to the surface of everyone's minds.

Rudy roared again, he was sure to be on them at any moment.

A somber expression came to Buck's face as he listened to the sounds of the terrifying dinosaur, and then he stared at the unusual herd once more. He saw their fear, their concern, and knew how overwhelming the entire ordeal was for them. Unhidden emotion gleamed in his lone eye as he tried to find the words to say; knowing his time was running out. "Believe it or not, I know what you're going through. I know how it feels to be on the verge of losing someone you love, and be terrified for your own life as well."

Manny's eyes widened in surprise, the confession he was getting from the weasel was not what he was expecting at all.

"Sid is in for a very slow and agonizing death if we don't act now, and I don't want to put him or you through that." Buck continued, returning his attention to the possum brothers. "I need these two to get those lizards for him, their slime is the only thing I know of that works."

The leaves behind him shook, and a frightening growl filled the air.

"Diego." The weasel said calmly, aware of the beast behind him when he noticed the looks on his friends' faces. "Lead this herd to the safety of the Chasm of Death, no beasties will follow you in there. You'll be safe, as long as you don't get to close to the gas."

The large head glared down at the terrified group, its enormous eyes singling in on the furry creature addressing them.

"When you boys find the lizards, grab a few and meet up with the others at the Chasm. Scrape that slime off and feed it to Sid…and pray that he's gotten it in time."

"What about you?" The saber asked, unable to tear his gaze away from the giant towering over them.

Buck smiled grimly, his fingers reaching for the knife he had tucked away at his side. "I'm going to buy you the time you need to get to safety…"

And with that, the weasel spun around to face the terror of the dinosaur world. His smile turning into a taunting smirk as he waved the knife in front of him, being sure his enemy could see it clearly. Seeing the recognition in the monstrous carnivore's face, and hoping it would be enough to distract it from the herd standing behind him.

"Hello, Rudy…were you, perhaps, looking for this?"

The furious roar that nearly knocked him off his feet was a satisfying enough answer for Buck as he got on all fours and ran as fast as he could, cheerfully laughing when he heard the thunder crashing behind him. A sense of relief washed over him as he ran for his life, knowing that his new friends were now safe from his terrible foe.

He heard their cries of concern for him, and felt a warmth bubble up within his chest in response.

"I'll meet you at the Chasm as soon as I deal with him!" The weasel yelled over his shoulder as he went deeper into the jungle, hoping that would be enough to convince the strange herd to leave him behind. He would never forgive himself if they went and got themselves killed in an effort to try and save him. "I know what I'm doing, so get out of here!"

Diego watched the strange animal disappear into the jungle, torn between going to his aid and leading his friends to the safety of the unusual cave. One look down at Sid, and his mind was made up. "You heard him, let's go."

Manny wrapped his trunk around Ellie and the baby, while the two possums shot out into the wilderness to seek out the cure for the sloth. The saber continued staring down at his friend, whose eyes were clenched painfully shut and whose breath was strained, and his heart plummeted. Another angry roar, further away now, rang in the jungle as he gently scooped his friend up and tossed him onto his back before running after the others.

"Hang on buddy…"

He hoped; with one last worried glance over his shoulder, that they would all make it out of this mess alive.

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**Well, that c****oncludes Part 1 of this fanfic. Please review and let me know what you think of it, I will try to get Part 2 up soon.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry for the long delay with Chapter 2, I kept getting stuck with this one blasted paragraph that never seemed to read right for me. Obviously, that problem has been resolved! Enjoy!**

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Buck nearly had the wind knocked out of him when he crashed into the rock wall, the result of a swift and unexpected blow from his enemy, falling down with a groan before standing back up on wobbly legs. His vision was swimming as Rudy approached, and as he scrambled away he found himself wondering just what his problem was. The dinosaur had gotten the upper hand on him far too easily, and that disturbed the weasel.

"_What's wrong with me? Why can't I focus?_"

He leapt up in the nick of time to avoid a potentially fatal strike from the beast's tail, quickly becoming distracted again despite his best efforts to concentrate.

"_Are they okay?_"

With great skill, Buck managed to twist himself and maneuver away from the jaws snapping at him. Once he was out of death's line of sight he let his thoughts wander again, surprised as he realized what was causing him so much trouble.

The herd…

It had been years since he had a connection to anyone from the upper world, ages since he had to worry over the welfare of someone else besides himself. After all, he had been alone for so long. In his years of isolation away from any other mammals, he had gotten used to the depressing loneliness; and then, all of a sudden, things changed. The odd-ball herd that had stumbled into the lost world had wormed their way into his heart in the short time he had gotten to know them…and not knowing how they were doing was terribly maddening for the weasel's already unstable mind.

Rudy growled threateningly; charging towards the crazed mammal, who dodged the attack with ease once he snapped out of his inner turmoil.

"Oh, be quite you old beastie!" Buck said in a teasing tone, pushing the concerns he was having to the back of his head. "Can't you see I'm having a revelation here?"

The dinosaur's jaws came snapping down on him again, as quick and as vicious as ever, and Buck retaliated with a few quick swipes from his knife. He grinned triumphantly when he noticed a streak of blood on his opponent's large face, and once again leaped backward to avoid the angry teeth. Continuing the deadly game, and allowing his mind to temporarily forget about his newfound friends and slip back into the comforts of its usual insanity.

Their private war seemed never-ending, and the two very strange foes continued the chase through the thick green foliage. A flash of brown fur clashing with the white-skinned mass that loomed over him. A prehistoric game of cat and mouse, that seemed to maintain a constant stalemate with no definite signs of the battle coming to a close anytime soon.

Neither of the combatants took notice of their surroundings after a while, and they were both surprised a few seconds later when they tumbled together off the edge of the cliff they had been battling upon. Both were powerless to prevent the unfortunate outcome.

Rudy's roar of surprised terror and Buck's fearful scream echoed throughout the jungle, as they fell to their certain deaths…

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Diego's ears flicked backward, picking up the faint sound of what he thought was screaming. His stomach churned as an array of terrible possibilities came to his mind. Horrific ideas that he desperately buried, knowing full well that he couldn't afford any distractions when he was supposed to be leading the remainder of his herd to safety.

"I think we're almost there." Manny murmured from behind the group, his worried gaze shifting back and forth between his wife with their child and the limp form lying on the saber's back. Letting his eyes linger on the sloth for a moment before the guilt became unbearable. He soon turned his attention to the plants around them once more. "This area kinda looks familiar."

Ellie glanced around them, silently agreeing with her mate's assessment. She was a bundle of nerves as she thought about her brothers and Buck, off on their dangerous missions. "I hope they get back soon."

"Everything's going to be fine." Sid said hoarsely as he lifted his head to look at her, giving her a comforting smile despite the exhaustion written on his features. "We seem to have a knack for this sort of thing, and always make it out okay."

"How are you holding up, honey?" The motherly mammoth asked her friend, unable to hide her concern regardless of his reassurances.

"I'll live…"

Despite the everlasting confidence the sloth seemed to radiate, Diego couldn't help the worried look that crossed his face at the remark. The others couldn't see any noticeable changes in their friend since he had been struck by the poisonous dart, other than his obvious weakness, but the saber could tell things weren't going as smoothly as Sid was trying to reassuringly imply. He could feel the feverish sweat slowly dripping onto his own fur, and had also noticed the increasing tremors coming from the animal lying on his back.

The occasional wheeze of pain that passed by his sharp ears didn't make him feel any better about the situation either. "How about we stop for a drink? It might help you feel a little better, Sid."

The mammal in question did seem tempted by the offer, but shook his head. "Not all the water here is safe…Mamma Rex deliberately avoided certain pools when the kids were thirsty, and I didn't have enough time to figure out how she could tell something was wrong with them."

He swallowed, clearly longing for the drink despite his own words of caution.

"I'm sure your new buddy, Buck, will be able to tell the difference…why don't we just keep going and we can ask him about it when he comes back."

Manny raised an eyebrow in question, perplexed by the hint of bitterness he thought he detected in the sloth's voice. Didn't Sid like the deranged weasel? He was typically the first one to try and befriend any unique characters that crossed their path, and Buck was friendly enough despite his lack of sanity, so what was different this time?

"He's got a point." Ellie said quietly, following Diego as he began to walk again. Looking over her shoulder at her mate, curious over the confused look he still had on his face. "Aren't you coming, Manny?"

The mammoth blinked, realizing how odd he probably seemed, and quickly caught up with the group. Still baffled by Sid's demeanor, he returned his gaze upon his friend. After a while, he wrote it off as being a side-effect of the sloth's exhaustion and tried not to think about it anymore. He needed to keep alert for any predators, and wouldn't allow himself to be distracted by something so silly when all their lives were in danger.

And so, the group continued onward silently. Each lost in their own worried thoughts, none willing to speak of them. Diego fought his urge to run back in the direction in which they came, the screams still echoing in his mind as he tried not to think the worst had befallen Buck or the twins. Ellie, too, had let her own worry over the missing members of their group run wild, but tried to keep herself enthusiastic that everything would work out perfectly fine in the end. Manny swore that he would never forgive himself if they all didn't make it out of their predicament alive, while Sid slowly slipped into the dark corners of his mind as his fever rose.

The sloth's body ached more and more with each step the saber underneath him took, but he kept his pain hidden. He didn't want the others fussing over him and risking more trouble to come their way as a result of the distraction he posed. It was bad enough they were all trapped down there because of him, he didn't think he could handle it if anyone got hurt too.

"There it is!" Diego said with relief when he spotted the opening to the cavern, quickly leading the others inside. He gently reached back his paw to lift the injured mammal off his back and lay him onto the rocky ground, wishing there was more he could do to help. He didn't like how Sid looked, and wondered how long it would take the others to catch up. Not liking the odds, he turned his attention back to Manny. "I'm going after them."

The mammoth simply nodded in reply, knowing it would be pointless to try and stop his friend. "Just…be careful, okay?"

"Aren't I always?" The saber asked, grinning as he looked back towards the jungle. Determined to track down the others before nightfall; all of them. "Just hold down the fort while I'm gone!"

With that said, the stealthy feline shot back out into the wild. Disappearing within the lush green world, and leaving the remaining herd members alone.

Ellie cradled the infant in her trunk, glancing back and forth between her mate and her ill friend. The silence was awkward, she needed a distraction or she would go mad with worry. "Why don't we gather some leaves and try to make a bed for Sid to sleep on?"

"That would be nice." The sloth agreed, slowly sitting up and watching as she and the baby went out towards the edge of the cave to collect the foliage. "It would be even nicer if we all just cuddled up together…"

"Nope, I don't think so." Manny said quickly, automatically falling into the friendly banter the two of them typically underwent every night or so. Except tonight; he didn't really have his heart in it, he was too worried to see the sloth's attempts to lighten the mood.

Sid's face fell with playful disappointment. "Why not?"

"Because I said so."

"Oh, come on, old buddy. Please?"

"Why do you always have to do that?" The mammoth snapped, forgetting himself and allowing his annoyance to get the better of him once more. Startling Sid; and wiping the weak, yet carefree, grin off his face. "Why can't you take no for an answer and just drop it? It's not good enough for you that we risked our lives to come down here and try to save your hide from this mess you got yourself into, but you have to be a pain about it too?"

"Oh, well excuse me for trying to get you to loosen up a little and to quit worrying so much!"

"Sid…" Manny immediately felt guilty for what he had said, realizing his mistake and trying to calm the other animal down. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean that."

"Sure you did." Sid shot back accusingly, standing up on wobbly legs. "Why don't you drop the act and just admit you hate my guts."

Ellie, who had enjoyed the playful banter between the two before it had suddenly turned sour, gasped at the remark. She noticed the shocked expression that had come across her mate's face, and knew her own face mirrored his in surprise. What had gotten into the sloth?

"Wh-what?" It took a moment for Manny to realize that his friend wasn't being his usual overly-dramatic self. He really seemed to believe what he was saying.

"Give me a break; you know exactly what I'm talking about!"

Confusion and annoyance crossed Manny's features again as he stepped forward, throwing his trunk up in the air in exasperation. "Actually, no, I don't know! After everything we've been through together, why would you think that?"

"You really need me to spell it out for you?" Sid asked, furiously. Swaying a little, but shoving away the mammoth's truck as it was offered to him, pacing angrily as he began to unload his troubled thoughts. "You wanted nothing to do with me when we first met, even though I was trying to offer you the friendship that you so clearly needed. You ignore every single idea or suggestion I have to offer, you have no faith in me whatsoever, and you don't respect me in the slightest…heck, I help you out building Peaches' play-area, and not only do I **not** get a 'thank you' for my equally hard work, but I'm not even included on that pretty hanging ice thing you made for her!"

He was dizzy, drenched in sweat as he grew hotter and hotter with each devastating word that passed his lips, but the sloth couldn't bring himself to stop. His doubts and insecurities had been bubbling to the surface more and more since he had reunited with the herd, and they seemed to consume him now. The pounding of his own heartbeat rang louder and faster in his ears as he felt his breath quicken as a result of the panic he was undergoing.

Manny watched, stunned, as the look of utter defeat fell over the sloth's face. The words, some of which he hated to admit, rang true, burned into him as he struggled to think of something to say. He had no idea this had been eating his friend up inside, and wondered why it was never brought up before.

"_It probably was….you just didn't want to hear it_." A voice in his mind stated harshly, shame finding him as he tore his gaze away from his friend. "_Just like when Diego tried to talk to you about his issues…_"

"SID!"

The mammoth was shaken out of his thoughts by the sound of Ellie's startled voice, and he looked down to see the sloth sprawled limply on the cavern floor.

It didn't look like he was breathing…

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"I think we're cursed or something!" Eddie declared with a squeak as he and his brother ran frantically through the bushes and leaves that obscured their escape route, with a pack of fearsome dinosaurs chasing after them. If the possum didn't know any better, he'd say they looked mighty hungry. "Crash, head towards that tree right ahead of us!"

His brother whizzed past him, not watching where he was going, and tripped over something in his path. "Oh, hey! Look at this…"

Scrambling backward to help him up, Eddie glanced fearfully over his shoulder at the beasts that were quickly catching up with them. Uttering a word he was sure Ellie would disapprove of, he wondered what he and his brother had done to deserve such bad luck. Was karma coming to bite them in the behind for all those pranks they had played on Diego and Sid over the last few months?

Couldn't karma have waited to play payback at a better time? Why now, and why is such a horrible manner, when they were trying to save their friend's life? They were lost, scared, and had been having no luck in locating the pesky lizards Buck and sent them off to find. Now, they were running for their own lives through the frightening wilderness.

Eddie shivered as he made a grab for his brother's scrawny arm. The raptors were getting dangerously close, and fast! He looked down at his sibling, rolling his eyes at the stupid grin on the other possum's face at the discovery he had just made.

"It's one of those lizards we were looking for." Crash exclaimed, momentarily forgetting about their unfortunate predicament in favor of his excitement. "Finally!"

"Not now, bro!"

The cheerful possum dropped his prize as he was pulled back onto his feet and dragged through the forest once more. The tree, their safe haven, was just within their reach.

Closer…

Closer…

The brothers could practically taste their freedom!

That is, until one of the raptors chasing them suddenly appeared ahead of them on the path. Blocking them from the safety they had longed for.

As the frightening beast before them slowly inched closer, the rest of the pack behind them seemed to cackle with delight as they closed in on their prey. Eddie grabbed his brother's hand as he pulled the other possum into a fearful hug, neither one of them taking their eyes off the hunters. "I…I guess this is it, bro."

"It was nice knowing you…" Crash cried in reply, clinging to his sibling as he clenched his eyes tightly shut. He couldn't bring himself to stare down the creatures that were about to tear them to shreds, he could only hope the two of them died instantly.

The raptors roared victoriously as they circled their prey, and then lunged forward…

* * *

"Sid? Sid, wake up!" Manny shook the limp form of his friend sprawled on the ground, his mind in a panic. He had done it again! He had let his frustrations get to him, unfairly argued with the sloth, and now his friend was out cold and barely breathing. "Can you hear me? Come on, snap out of it…"

Ellie instructed their child to keep hold of her tail, and then approached the two. Placing her trunk onto her friend's forehead, her eyes widened with concern. "His fever's getting really bad…what are we going to do?"

Her mate was at a loss for words, reluctantly taking away his own trunk and scrambling to think of anything that could be done to help the sloth. Disappointment came to his features as he realized that there was nothing they could do; they had no way of knowing which pools of water were safe to drink from, and they had not seen any of the lizards Buck had instructed the twins to look for. Despite the increasing direness of their situation, they could do nothing but wait for the others to return.

But, could Sid afford to wait?

Peaches yawned, fussing at her mother's side. Ellie shared a look with Manny, and then picked up their daughter. Going off into one of the corners, careful not to get too close to the edge where the gas was, she discreetly allowed the child to drink from her. Weariness washed over both of them in a matter of minutes, and it wasn't long before the mother and baby fell asleep.

Manny was grateful for that, it wasn't good for his mate or their little girl to be under so much stress so soon after the birth. He watched them sleep; smiling a little and wishing that he too could relax and escape into a stress-free dreamland. Instead, he sat by Sid's side and stared out the opening of the cavern to observe the activities of the jungle's wildlife. Keeping a sharp eye out for both friend and foe; he tried not to let his worry consume him.

"…don't leave me behind…"

Surprised, the mammoth looked down at the limp form lying next to him. He was disappointed to see that the sloth was still unconscious. It took him a moment to realize that his friend was simply talking in his fever-induced sleep, and was confused by the statement he thought he had heard. "What?"

Sid looked distressed, his breathing was shallow and his body shook with small tremors. "…abandon…always abandoned…"

Manny's eyes widened at the murmured words, as he watched his friend shiver more and curl up into a fetal position. Was the sloth having a nightmare that they were going to leave him behind? The mammoth wasn't sure what he could do, but he needed to do something fast. He didn't like what he was hearing or seeing.

Sid suddenly seemed to be deteriorating right in front of his eyes! His breathing, which had been shallow just moments before, was unexpectedly becoming very quick again; so quick that Manny feared that if the sloth kept it up he would hyperventilate. His worry increased when his friend began to convulse without warning, forcing the mammoth to hold him firmly down with his trunk. "_This is worse than before…if he doesn't calm down this could kill him before the poison does!_"

"We'd never leave you behind." Manny reassured gently, hoping that Sid could hear him and would relax. "Why would you think we would?"

The sloth looked like he was about to cry. "…friends…family…always abandoned…until Pinkie…you…"

The mammoth could hazily recall Sid mentioning his family leaving him behind when they first met. Back then he didn't care, but now it struck a cord. Now it was painfully clear that his friend suffered from abandonment issues, and that these issues were slowly killing him. Buck had said that the poison would put their friend through agony; he never said that pain was limited to being just physical.

"That's right, I didn't abandon you."

"…but…wanted to…"

Manny shrank back, remembering that he really had wanted nothing to do with the sloth when they first encountered each other. "Yeah…okay, alright, I'll admit that when we first met you were kinda on my bad side, and that I didn't really want your company. But, you remember what I was like back then; I didn't want be around anyone!"

Despite how critical the situation was, the mammoth couldn't help but smile a little at the memory. Sid was so persistent, he had been determined to save the human child and drag Manny along with him.

"I never admit it then, but you and Diego really helped me out back in those early days. Our journey to reunite Pinkie with the human tribe helped distract me from my grief; it took my thoughts away from Melissa and our son. It had been a year since their deaths, and I still couldn't cope with the pain…I didn't really care about my own welfare until you came screaming into my path."

Sid's breathing slowed a little, bringing small comfort to the mammoth, but his tremors didn't subside. Manny wasn't sure if there was anything he could say or do about that, but decided that if talking to his friend was helping…then he'd keep it up. He remembered what was said during the sloth's outburst, and realized the insecurities his friend seemed to have in regards to his place among the other members of the group.

"You were right; about what you said before, I don't give you any credit for the contributions you've made to this herd. It isn't fair, because you really have done so much, and I don't think any of us have really acknowledged that...I know I sure haven't." He paused, feeling guilty for how he had treated Sid over the years.

"Your ability to create fire from a pair of rocks or sticks, your persistent drive to solve any issues one of us might be having despite any reluctance on our parts to accept your help. Doing everything in your power to cheer one of us up when we're having a bad day. Teaching Diego how to swim…yeah…he finally admit that to me one day, can you believe it?"

The tremors subsided a little, much to Manny's relief.

"If it weren't for you; I'd still be a loner or worse, Diego would still be an unhappy member of his pack, and Pinkie would probably be dead. If it weren't for you, I never would have opened up my heart again and allowed myself to get so close to Ellie. Our herd would never have grown, although I think we would have still been content with just the three of us."

He paused, letting the words that were spilling forth without thought sink in as he looked down at the sloth worryingly. Disturbed by how close to death's door his friend seemed to be.

"…If it weren't for you, Peaches would be the one lying next to me slowly dying from a poisonous dart…" Manny blinked, feeling a warm wetness build up in his eyes, and not caring if anyone else saw it. The situation was really starting to hit him at that moment; smoothly cutting through the fog of shock and disbelief that had been keeping it at bay up until that moment. "Geeze, Sid…We're together because of you, and we're all happier because of it. I owe you so much, and never realized it until now."

The mammoth had hoped that his words would have been enough to pull the sloth out of the comatose-like state he seemed to have fallen into, and was met with disappointment. Tremors still shook his friend's frame, and the other animal's breathing was still frighteningly shallow. He wished, for what felt like the hundredth time, that the others would come back soon.

"Just…hang in there, okay?"

* * *

**I said this was only going to be a two-shot…I lied. This will be a multi-chapter fic after all, although I can't say for sure how many more chapters left there are. I think I know how many more chapters it'll take to finish this story, but I was wrong before. I hope you all are enjoying it so far, and hope to have a new update within a reasonable amount of time!**


	3. Chapter 3

**No, your eyes are not deceiving you. I am finally updating this fic, and I apologize for the long wait. The fanfic author in my brain really does hate me; she's on strike all the time! Meanwhile, she's teasing me with new fanfic plots…I don't think I pay her well enough.**

**Anyway, enjoy!**

**

* * *

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The terrified screams were much louder now, and the saber found himself running faster than ever, before breaking through the brush and staring down the pack of raptors that had closed in on the two terrified possums. The snarling beasts turned their frightening eyes onto him, saliva dripping from their deadly fangs, while the twins cheered ecstatically at his arrival. Everything was still, and Diego took that moment to catch his breath. Calculating what he should do next, and tensing up in preparation for the fight he knew was coming.

As nervous as he was, he was hellbent on protecting his family from the monstrous creatures standing between him and them. "You kids alright?"

Crash couldn't stop nodding his head in confirmation, and received a quick smack from his brother to help him regain his senses. Irritated, the mammal turned to glare accusingly at his twin, but his annoyance rapidly shifted to surprise when he saw the grim expression on other's face. Eddie had initially been thrilled at the arrival of their fierce friend, but the direness of their predicament quickly sobered him up. Even with Diego there, the odds were still poorly matched. The possum knew his friend was a formidable warrior, but he also knew that the reptiles eyeing them hungrily were at the top of their game.

The odds that all of them would make it out of the jungle alive were still disturbingly slim.

"Get out of here!"

Eddie blinked, shocked, as the saber launched himself at the group of dinosaurs. Getting their full attention, and taking it away from the twins. Who both stood and stared dumbfounded as they watched their friend wage war against the hunters, torn between their desire to run away or to stay and watch the battle.

"You got wax in your ears?" Diego snapped as he took a swipe at one raptor, while narrowly avoiding the sharp teeth from one of the others. "Beat it, now!"

"But what about-"

"NOW!"

He couldn't keep his eyes on the enemy, and be sure of what the possums were doing at the same time, so he resolved to keep counting the raptors instead. Keep checking to make sure they were all on him, and nowhere near the boys. His nerves were a wreck as he continued clawing at his foes with skillful dodges, while thoughts of his scattered herd nagged distractingly in his mind.

Sid was slowly dying from poison, Buck had disappeared into the jungle in a one-mammal-war against the most terrifying creature the saber had ever laid eyes on, and the possums he had learned to love like obnoxious little brothers had just been a hair's length away from being torn to shreds. He wasn't sure how much more worry and anxiety he'd able to take, let alone how much longer he'd be able to keep the raptors swarming around him dancing on their toes.

They were still very unfamiliar to him, but he could tell they were all relatively young. The creatures were just as fast as they were vicious, and he knew that sooner or later one of them would get the better of him. He was already worn out from all the running he had been doing in the last few hours, in addition to the fight he had engaged in earlier to protect Ellie as she was giving birth to her baby. Diego could only hope that Crash and Eddie had gotten to safety, and that they wouldn't see his downfall if he couldn't fight off the beasts he was combating with.

When two pebbles came soaring out of nowhere through the air, hitting two of the raptors on the head and causing them to pause with annoyed confusion, he found his hope shrivel away as the fight came to a temporary stop. All eyes looked up toward the nearby tree, where the small rocks had been projected from with juvenile ease.

"What part of _scram_ do you not get?" Diego snarled as he glared at the brothers, both of whom were sporting quickly fashioned straws and cocky grins from the assumed safety of their tree-branch perch.

"Did you really think we were gonna just leave you there?" Eddie asked, juggling the cluster of pebbles in his paw as he began to reload.

Crash was twirling his own straw, and giving the saber a knowing looking. "Heck no!"

The raptors snorted at the two possums, while Diego rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"If they don't kill you, I will." Was the angry, yet playful, retort, as the fight resumed.

* * *

A shaky paw, coupled with a frustrated and tired grunt, raised itself over the edge of the cliff that two determined foes had plummeted off of just moments earlier, and clawed determinedly at the dirt its fingers found when they graced the ground. A victorious holler sounded out as the other paw reached up and grabbed greedily at dirt and grass, and in no time Buck successfully pulled himself up the rest of the way. Scrambling away from the horrifying drop, and collapsing facedown with gleeful exhaustion onto the solid ground.

Solid ground, oh, what an absolute delight!

No more air whizzing by him as he had fallen, no more unease at the sensation of clinging desperately to the side of a rocky and unstable cliff-side, no more terror at the idea of the loose wall crumbling at just the wrong moment. After what felt like a couple of hours of painstaking climbing, he was finally on solid ground again.

"I win, mate." The weasel thought happily, satisfied with his defeat over his long-time enemy. Even if it had been a narrow one, and had nearly cost him his own life, it had been worth it.

At first, Buck basked in the glory of his victory, but once the giggles of exhilaration faded away he was reminded of why he had thrown himself into such a dangerous situation in the first place. He slowly got off his stomach to stand up, wincing a little when a sharp pain shot across his back, and debated over what to do. Look for the twins and make sure they were safe, or look for the lizards he had sent them on their mission for? "_I should head out, look for the blokes and make sure they haven't gotten themselves into any trouble. I can grab the slimy little critters I need after I locate the boys, neither task should take too long..._"

As if the universe had read his mind, screams suddenly echoed in the distance. They were familiar, and the weasel allowed a small sigh of fatigue escape his lips before retrieving his discarded knife and setting of quickly into the wilderness once more. Wondering when the insanity of the last few hours was ever going to end.

* * *

Sid's mind flickered in and out of consciousness, struggling to keep the black loneliness at bay. Failing as its oily negativity swept over him and plunged him into its cold and gloomy depths. Away from the warm security of his friends, the ones he looked upon as his own family, and closer to the darker corners of his mind where his doubts and insecurities preyed on him like vultures.

Now, as he weakly recalled angry words, the misery seemed to embrace him. A chill ran down his spine, and he struggled to slip free from it. He didn't want to remember what Manny had said to him before he passed out, didn't want to be reminded of his worthlessness to their odd yet content little group. All he wanted, all he had ever wanted, was to simply be accepted and loved.

"_That's a tall order…_" His negativity whispered, mockingly. "_They put up with you because you don't leave them alone, and they feel obligated to keep you out of trouble when you go and do something stupid because they're good mammals and would feel guilty if they didn't._"

"No, that's not true." Sid argued, wrapping his arms around himself self-consciously.

"_Really?_" The voice asked with disbelief laced in its tone. "_You seemed to believe that a few moments ago when you were yelling at Manny._"

The sloth remained silent, feeling a suffocating hotness begin to creep up around him.

"_You've believed it for quite a while now, haven't you, so why not admit it?_" His negativity continued, the words echoing around him menacingly. "_Diego only put up with you originally because Manny reluctantly tolerates you. The only reason why he's nicer to you now is because you saved his life, and he feels he owes it to you. Ellie's mothering by nature, she's too pure to say anything unkind to you and she pity's you because no one else likes you. Yes, you are that pathetic. And then there's Crash and Eddie, you really don't need me to say anything about them._"

"They came after me, they were worried…"

"_You don't pay attention, do you?_" The voice asked, laughing. "_You already know why they came after you, and wasn't because they actually cared._"

Sid found it difficult to breathe, as sweat drenched his fur even more. He could feel himself waking up a little, someone was shaking his shoulders.

A muffled conversation took place above him, and then the shaking stopped. One of the figures hovering over him had left, but he sensed from deep within the fogginess of his mind that the other individual had stayed beside him.

"_If you pull through this…_," the dark voice resumed nastily. "_…then they'll leave you behind. Sooner or later they'll get fed up, don't try to convince yourself otherwise._"

"No…" The sloth murmured, shaking his head. "…don't leave me behind…"

"What?" A new voice asked, familiar and concerned.

"…abandoned…always abandoned…" Sid whispered to himself, feeling a tear trickle down his cheek. Dread washed over him as he grew to accept the idea that his negativity had presented him with, his will weakening as the poison continued its damage. Suddenly feeling closed in, horrified by his acceptance, the sloth began to hyperventilate, alarming his unknown companion.

Something held him down, gently, and the new voice spoke again. The mammal's foggy mind took a moment to catch up with him, but when it did he realized who the speaker was.

"We'd never leave you behind." Manny reassured gently, his trunk was still lightly draped across the sloth's shoulders. "Why would you think we would?"

It was difficult to reply, almost as if he couldn't remember how to talk, but Sid finally managed to give a broken answer to the mammoth's question. "…friends…family…always abandoned…until Pinkie…you…"

"That's right, I didn't abandon you."

"…but…wanted to…"

"_He still does_." The darkness growled, trying to drown out Manny's words.

"Yeah…okay, alright, I'll admit that when we first met you were kinda on my bad side, and that I didn't really want your company." The mammoth said almost immediately, loud enough to keep the sloth's fading attention. "But, you remember what I was like back then; I didn't want be around anyone! I never admit it then, but you and Diego really helped me out back in those early days. Our journey to reunite Pinkie with the human tribe helped distract me from my grief; it took my thoughts away from Melissa and our son. It had been a year since their deaths, and I still couldn't cope with the pain…I didn't really care about my own welfare until you came screaming into my path."

"_It's just an excuse!_" The voice argued, trying to reclaim the sloth's attention. _"…he's just trying to make this about himself, and remind you of his painful past to try to guilt-trip you into coming out of this..._"

Sid ignored the voice, soaking in Manny's words like a sponge with real clarity. He almost couldn't believe what he was hearing, and that such openness was coming from the mammoth of all animals!

"You were right; about what you said before, I don't give you any credit for the contributions you've made to this herd." Manny continued, softly. "It isn't fair, because you really have done so much, and I don't think any of us have really acknowledged that...I know I sure haven't."

A cruel laugh ripped through the air, interrupting the heartfelt speech. "_Come on, you can't be buying this!_"

"Your ability to create fire from a pair of rocks or sticks, your persistent drive to solve any issues one of us might be having despite any reluctance on our parts to accept your help. Doing everything in your power to cheer one of us up when we're having a bad day. Teaching Diego how to swim…yeah…he finally admit that to me one day, can you believe it?"

"_He's just telling you what you want to hear, Sid…_"

"If it weren't for you; I'd still be a loner or worse, Diego would still be an unhappy member of his pack, and Pinkie would probably be dead. If it weren't for you, I never would have opened up my heart again and allowed myself to get so close to Ellie. Our herd would never have grown, although I think we would have still been content with just the three of us."

"…_you know I'm right…._"

"…If it weren't for you, Peaches would be the one lying next to me slowly dying from a poisonous dart…"

"…_it's all an act…it all boils down to guilt…_"

"Geeze, Sid…We're together because of you, and we're all happier because of it. I owe you so much, and never realized it until now…Just…hang in there, okay?"

The sloth's eyes watered even more, as he held himself tighter. Touched by his friend's speech, and tormented by what his darker side insistently hollered at him. Feeling so tired yet struggling with all his might to hang on, clinging to the warmth Manny's words had given him.

"_Why won't you listen to me?_" The voice asked, less menacing than it had been before.

"Because…" Sid said after a moment, slipping away once more. "I really want to believe what he told me…even if you're right and it is a lie; something he's saying to soothe any guilt he has because of what happened, I can at least pretend it's the truth."

"_Why?_"

"Because, I want to die happy…"

* * *

**I hope the wait was worth it, and I hope there weren't too many grammar errors (I've re-read this so many times, but I'm sure I missed something). Any boo-boos will be fixed when the next chapter gets uploaded. When that arrives is anyone's guess, but I do mean it when I say I try to churn chapters out quickly. **

**Again, the authoress that lives in my head can be quite non-compliant! **


	4. Chapter 4

A sickening squishing sound could be heard as the tooth-blade crashed into the raptor's head, directly between the eyes, right before the body fell quietly to its side. Lifeless as the surviving dinosaurs, not too eager on sharing their pack-mates fates, ran off into the wilderness of the jungle. They left behind the bodies of two of the beasts, while the four mammals that had successfully fought them off panted from their exertions.

"That. Was. Epic!" Crash yelled excitedly after a moment, turning to his brother and bopping their fists in boyish victory. "Eddie, did you see that shot I made back there? I got a rock right up that one raptor's nostril, it was hilarious!"

Diego rolled his eyes at the possum's brags, sitting down as he started to catch his breath. Watching as Buck walked over to one of the bodies and pulled his knife out of the creature's head, wiping the blood off in the grass. "Thanks for the help; I'm not sure I could have kept that up for too much longer."

The weasel smiled, as he placed the blade back in its belt. "I think you would've done alright without me, you did kill one yourself before I strolled in."

The saber looked over at the raptor sprawled on the ground nearby, smiling a little with pride. It had been a while since he had killed a predator, and it was pleasing to know he still had it in him to take down an enemy. Especially one as vicious and foreign as the dinosaurs he had just fought with. Diego glanced over at his friend again, who was approaching the tree where the twins were perched with a slightly annoyed expression on his face, about to reply to the compliment when he noticed the angry gash in the other animal's back.

"Buck, what happened to you?"

The weasel ignored the question; too busy glaring at the two possums disapprovingly to care. "You two, get down here! Did you find those lizards I told you to look for? We don't have a lot of time-"

"I found one!" Crash interrupted, remembering his discovery when they were first attacked. "I…can't find it now, but I did find one."

"It was right by that rock, maybe there's more around there." Eddie added, defending his brother before leaping down from the tree branch. Finding the one his brother dropped in a matter of seconds.

The weasel redirected his attention to the area the twins had pointed at, trying to speedily locate the lizards he was seeking.

Diego accepted the silent refusal to answer his question with slight reluctance, but knew Buck's stubbornness was equal to his own and didn't push the matter. Instead he turned his eyes toward the ground to search for his new prey, remembering why they were looking for the little creatures to begin with. He tried not to think of how much worse Sid could have possibly gotten in the time they had been gone.

"Ooh! Ooh! I found another one!" One of the boys yelled, catching the attention of the older mammals, both of whom rushed over to the possums to take a look.

"Two should do it…" Buck stated confidently, looking around at the foliage and grabbing a large leaf off of one of the plants. Quickly scrapping the slime coating off both lizards, and folding the leaf so none of it would spill. "Now we need to pick up a couple more items on the grocery list, and then we can head back to the home base."

With practiced skill, he scooped up two nearby coconuts, instructing the twins to each carry three, and marched straight back into the jungle. Keeping his eye up in the treetops, until he spotted what he was looking for. A small, satisfied grin lit up his face as he turned to Diego. "Hold these for me, will ya mate?"

After putting the coconuts in the saber's front paws and placing the folded leaf on his head, causing the feline to remain sitting stiffly in order to avoid dropping the items, the weasel quickly climbed up the tree trunk. Leaving the other three down on the ground, staring up into the thick branches that they were unable to see through, and pondering over what their friend was up to now. A few fallen leaves and mild curses later, and then Buck returned, leaping out of the tree like an acrobat and landing solidly on both feet. Sporting a couple of bee stings and a large folded leaf containing the precious honey he had just gone through the pains of stealing. "Alright, let's go!"

The twins marched on without making any remarks, both fearful of the weasel's potential wrath and eager to get the whole mission over with, but Diego wasn't so keen on staying quiet. He had caught the slight look of pain that had crossed the weasel's face then he had jumped out of the tree earlier, and was unwilling to let it go now that they were on the move again.

"You sure you're alright?"

"It's a minor flesh wound, I'll be fine."

"It doesn't look fine to me…"

Without stopping or slowing his pace, Buck glanced over at the saber walking in step with him. "I had my bloody eye slashed right out of its socket once; I think I can tolerate a little scratch!"

Diego was left speechless, as the weasel pushed on ahead of him. Not another word was spoken for the rest of the trek back to the cave.

* * *

"I can see them!"

Ellie looked up at the announcement her mate had made, allowing relief wash over her as she looked towards the opening of the cave. She could just barely make out the outlines of the four mammals approaching them. "Oh, thank goodness…"

"Sis!"

"You won't believe what we just went through, El!"

While the twins, completely forgetting the direness of the situation in their excitement, ran to their sister's side to regale her with tales of their dangerous adventure, the other two members of the group made their way over to Sid as Manny eyed the weasel hopefully. Slowly standing up, looking curiously at the items the smaller of the two carried. He had never left his friend's side.

"Did you get it?"

"Would I be here if we hadn't?" Buck asked somberly, putting down his coconuts and the leaf containing the slime. The one with the honey he put aside, intending on using it later when it was necessary. "You mind sitting him up for me, so he'll be able to drink this without choking on the stuff?"

The mammoth did as he was instructed. Lifting his unconscious friend with extreme gentleness, as if he were afraid he would break the sloth. Watching, in a bit of a daze, as the weasel cracked open one of the coconuts with surprising strength, and doing so successfully without spilling any of the milk from the two halves. In seconds he was mixing the lizard slime into the liquid, adding a little bit of honey from the other leaf, before going back to the dying sloth's side.

"Sid…" Buck said soothingly, holding one coconut half in one palm and placing the other hand on the animal's shoulder comfortingly. "If you can hear me, I'm going to need you to drink what I'm about to give you. You got it?"

He waited, even though the sloth was too far gone in the fever to reply, and then cautiously poured the mixture into the sick mammal's mouth. Alert for any signs of sputtering or choking, before he did the same with the other coconut half. After giving Sid a chance to completely swallow the drink, he helped the mammoth lay the animal back down. Looking down on him sadly, and praying for his survival, before turning away and heading toward the campfire that the twins had just finished making.

"Now, we just wait…and hope for the best."

"Are you sure there's nothing else we can do, or that that'll even work? Manny asked, his doubts resurfacing without restraint.

"First, you nit-pick over my announcement on how to save our floppy friend…" Buck snapped, turning on the mammoth angrily. "Now, you're complaining as if I'm not doing enough to save him! I've lead you and your herd, voluntarily, through the perils of this jurassic world. Stuck my neck out for you lot, even though I didn't know any of you and could have easily ignored your fish-out-of-water situation without a care! I've done nothing but help you, and have proven more than once that I do indeed know what I'm talking about, as I certainly hope I would considering how long I've been down here. So it would be nice to get some appreciation out of you instead of your never-ending distrust!"

The weasel glared at the mammoth, slowly becoming aware of the gaping mouths of all the others in the group, and allowing the silence blanket them coldly. After a moment taking a deep breath, realizing that Manny had only reacted out of worry and hadn't really meant to question him, and slowly exhaling as his face fell with guilt. He gave the taller animal an apologetic look, running a hand over the fur on the top of his head with weary frustration.

"Sorry, mate. I was out of line; you have every right to have your doubts when you've got the lives of your herd to worry over."

Manny remained silent for a moment more, before giving him a small nod in reply. He recognized that the crazed animal's outburst stemmed from the same anxieties he himself was having over their situation. He also recognized something deeper, a shared need for redemption, and found himself wondering over their new friend's past once more.

"What happened to your back?" Ellie asked, breaking the silence and driving away the negativity with her concern. Soon, everyone's eyes were on the angry gash and the trickle of blood leaking from it.

Instead of protesting, as he had before, Buck simply walked over to the leaf with the honey. Smearing the warm sticky substance all over the natural gauze, and then cracking open another one of the coconuts. "I got it when I fell off a cliff with Rudy, scrapped myself up when I grabbed at the vegetation growing on the side to stop my fall. Would this cover the whole wound, do you think?"

Diego glanced back and forth between the leaf and the injury on the weasel's back. It was a long cut, but it would be easily covered. "Yeah, that should do it."

Satisfied, Buck went over to the campfire and arranged a group of stones over it. Quickly piling them up; two piles on each side, so that a single flat stone could be safely laid across the flickering flames until it had become hot to the touch. Then, he placed the two coconut halves, still full of their nutrient liquid, on top of it. Watching as the fluid slowly began to boil.

"What are you doing?" Manny asked, with curiosity rather than suspicion.

"I'm sterilizing the water so I can clean my wound before putting the honey on it. I've seen the humans do this when they've treated some of their injured." The weasel said quietly, allowing himself to be mesmerized by the bubbles rising in the heating water. "You can learn a lot from those upright-animals, if you take the time to watch them. They're pretty clever; a lot of the things I've picked up from them has helped me out over the years."

Diego could recall, as he watched the flames, how Sid had told them he had seen humans using two sticks to start their fires after the other two had scoffed at him for his attempts at using the same procedure. Realizing, although he wasn't sure why he didn't pick up on it before, that it had been Buck's method as well when they couldn't find the stones they had grown accustomed to using to create the flames. He never would have thought to watch how humans operated outside of a hunt, or to even consider imitating some of their unusual actions.

"So…" Eddie began as he edged himself closer to the fire, with his brother following his lead. "How long have you been down here and how did you even find this place?"

Buck removed coconut shells from the flat rock, ceasing the boiling of the liquid, and set them aside to cool. Returning his gaze towards the flames, and quietly recalling the events that lead him to discover the cave that opened up to reveal the underground world. Smiling, although somewhat sadly, as he remembered those early days.

"I wasn't always a vagabond, and when I first came to this terrifying oasis I wasn't alone." The weasel said after a moment, surprised by how easily the past he wanted so badly to forget was bubbling out of him like water from a fountain. "Honestly, there isn't very much to say when it comes to my old life. My brother, Mike, and I had left the rest of our family behind that summer, eager to go off on our own and explore the big bad world around us. My best friend, Daisy, had come along with us. I was thrilled about that, of course, because I'd always fancied her more than just a friend…although, I had never told her that. Was terrified of ruining a good thing, you know? Anyway, maybe a month after we left home we became an item...as it turns out, she had always fancied me more than a friend too."

Ellie smiled a little at the mention of the love story, recalling how she and Manny had gotten together. Her mate however, while smiling a little at first, soon frowned as a sense of foreboding washed over him. After all, there had to be a good reason why their new friend was alone now.

"With item-hood comes the joy of upcoming motherhood, as I'm sure you can tell us of, love." Buck continued, jokingly. His smile quickly fading as his mind flashed over everything that had happened all those years ago. "Daisy and I were soon proud parents, and Mike became the fun-loving uncle. Not too long after that, I'm afraid, is when it all fell apart…"

The weasel blinked, he could feel tears beginning to form in his eye, but shook it off stubbornly. Telling the group of the stampede that had killed the children a few weeks after their birth; devastating the guilt-ridden adults, who had done all they could to save their kin. Revealing how Daisy had been so grief-stricken by the loss, and how she had begun to slowly deteriorate over the months that followed the tragic incident. Buck; fearing for his mate's life, and insisted that they return to their old territory, and reunite with their own parents. Having high hopes that familiar grounds would help pull her out of her depression.

Daisy's unexpected leap into a raging river a few days after his suggestion had shaken Buck to his core.

"We gave up on going home after that…" He sighed, testing the warmth of the coconut water with a fingertip. Satisfied that it had cooled down enough, he poured the lukewarm liquid onto the aching slash on his back. Tenderly washing away the dried blood and loose fur, and grateful for the slight relief in his discomfort. "So, we continued onward into the unknown. Two blokes seeking a new start…although, I admit to being tempted to follow Daisy into the abyss. Mike could see it in my eyes I suppose, because he never let me out of his sight. It took time, but he pulled me out of my brooding. With a little help from this place…"

Pausing, Buck grabbed at the honey covered leaf. Making sure the entire thing was saturated with the sticky substance before turning to Diego. "Would you mind putting this over my wound, mate?"

The saber quietly complied, giving the weasel a silent apology for the hardships he had endured.

"Wh-what happened after that?" Crash asked, hugging his brother tightly as if they had been listening to a horror story. The twins both had tears glistening in their eyes, and made no attempts at hiding it.

"Winter was setting it, and one night the two of us got caught in a horrible blizzard!" Buck continued, sitting back down next to the fire and staring moodily into it. "Mike had seen the cave opening first; he always did have a sharp eye. We dashed into it, a little recklessly I'm afraid, and were dumbfounded to discover there was no end to it. I don't remember what had caused the cave-in that blocked our way out; I just remember being terrified to going deeper into that blackness. Imagine our surprise when we saw light, and then saw this wonderland sprawled out before us!"

The herd members all smiled a little, they could completely relate to the younger Buck's awe. Diego still couldn't believe such a place existed underneath their world above.

"Discovering this place cheered me up at first, but it didn't last." The weasel frowned sadly, glancing over at Sid's still form. "Mike didn't know what hit him when he walked past that flower…I stayed by his side until the very end. I wish I knew then, what I know now. I could have saved him…"

Manny's eyes widened, as he was sure the others around him had done as well, and he stared in shock at the strange animal. It made sense now; the way the weasel had panicked when he saw the blossom, his extreme care over Peaches and Sid, his remark about knowing what it was like to see a friend so close to death and feeling helpless to stop it. Buck had experienced it all, first hand.

The mammoth didn't need to ask how his new crazed companion had learned of the antidote he had given Sid. Instead, he came to the conclusion that Buck had used his keen observation skills to uncover that tidbit of information. Had probably seen one of the dinosaurs lick or eat one of those lizards directly after being shot by the poisonous darts.

Manny couldn't begin to imagine how maddening it must have been to discover such critical information after losing someone so close to him, who had needed that knowledge to survive.

"A day or so after burying Mike, I encountered Rudy." He continued, a humorless smile forming on his lips at the memory. "I died that night, only to remarkably find myself reborn. An adrenaline rush ignited my senses in those moments when I was about to be swallowed alive, it stirred something in me, and you lot know the rest of the story…I've never been the same since."

Silence, an ever-present blanket over the group that evening, remained cloaked over the unusual herd as they stared into the flickering flames of their campfire. No words could be spoken, nothing could be said to soothe such old wounds. They could do nothing but wait; wait for the morning, and hope that they all made it through the night.

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**Well, one more chapter to go! I'm in a rush to post this before I head for work, so forgive my hastiness if I failed to catch a grammar no-no. Hope you enjoyed this, and I hope you'll stick around for the conclusion!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I present to you, the final chapter!**

**Enjoy!**

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"Welcome back to the land of the living!" Buck had joked kind-heartedly to Sid as the sloth's eyes fluttered open; the relief was powerfully evident in his tone as he placed a paw onto the sick animal's forehead. Whose fever had, thankfully, broken during the night. "How are you feeling, mate?"

The mammal in question simply blinked with sleepy confusion, trying to remember what had happened. A shiver shook his weak form as he tried to sit up, realizing he was drenched in his own sweat and feeling as though he were about to tumble back into a never-ending sleep. "I've been better…"

"I'm sure you have." The weasel agreed, getting up and grabbing two un-opened coconuts. "You feel up to eating, or would you rather just have something to drink?"

Sid felt too weak to even be hungry, and opted for the drink to quench his powerful thirst instead. Gulping down the sweet liquid greedily and wishing there had been more. He gave the shell back to the weasel and watched as Buck took his blade to the coconut's meat, skillfully carving off the tasty fruit and putting the pieces aside.

"When you do eat, be sure to take it slow." Buck instructed softly, keeping his attention on his work. "And give a holler whenever you're thirsty and I'll fetch some water, you'll need to drink a lot of it until you feel better."

"Okay..." Sid watched the newest member of the herd as he worked, his growing curiosity helping him wake up a little. He could easily see why the twins, and even Diego, were so enthralled by the weasel. The eye-patch, the rugged appearance, his obvious smarts and skills; it wouldn't surprise the sloth if even Manny began boyishly hero-worshiping their latest acquaintance. "Are you going to go with us, when we leave this place?"

Buck stopped his work; looking up thoughtfully. It was something that he had been mulling over for much of the evening before his patient had woken up. "I've been asking myself the same question."

"Well, I think you should. I barely know you, and even I can see you'd make an awesome addition to our herd!"

The weasel smiled, flattered by the remark. "Thanks."

"I'm only speaking the truth!" Sid continued, cautiously sitting up a little and staring into the flickering flames of the campfire. "All of them really like you, and they listen to what you have to say. You just…click with them."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that." Buck replied with a bit of a playful smile, admiring his handiwork on the now-emptied coconut shell. "Your friend Manny has been pretty reluctant to go along with anything I have had to say."

"Well sure he has, he's a very stubborn guy!" The sloth laughed with a little smile of his own, etched with subtle sadness as he poked at the burning wood with a stick he had found. "But, after arguing for the sake of arguing, he goes along with what you've suggested in the end. He's skeptical, sure, but he doesn't totally brush you off like your opinion's worthless."

It was becoming quickly apparent to the weasel that they weren't just talking about him anymore, and an awkward silence fell over the two. What was he supposed to say to that? As Sid let his forced smile slip away, Buck mulled over how he should respond to the remark. Suddenly, Manny's self-criticism from a few nights earlier made much more sense to him.

Sid felt embarrassed, and didn't want to get into it. Changing the subject before his new friend could begin to push the issue further. "You look exhausted, have you gotten any rest since this whole mess started?"

It was Buck's turn to get defensive, and he immediately forgot what he was originally going to say. "Ha! I've gone longer without sleep my friend, trust me."

"You look like Mammamista Rex chewed you up and spit you out." Sid replied, still worried and unconvinced. "Aren't you a little bit worn out?"

"I won't rest until you and your friends are safely back on the surface world, and don't bother trying to talk me out of it because Diego's already tried." The adventurous weasel said with a quiet laugh, touched by the other mammal's concern for him. "I'm the one who should be fretting over your well-being you know, not the other way around!"

The sloth stared back at Buck, slowly remembering fragments of conversations that were made as he had hovered in and out of consciousness. He realized that the weasel was ultimately responsible for saving his life, and that the crazed mammal hadn't left his side since regrouping with the herd. How could someone who was a complete stranger show him so much care and attention, when the mammals he considered his adopted family acted as if he were a burden to their group, and, for the most part, were only capable of showing him any sort of affection when he was in danger? Tears began to brim his eyes, as he tried to stand up.

Alarmed, Buck quickly rushed back next to the sloth. "Are you hurt? Even after having the antidote the poison can sometimes…"

Damp fur crushed the weasel's own and silenced him as the weak arms suddenly wrapped around his thin frame, and he was stunned to realize that the other animal was sobbing into his chest.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you…" Sid stammered over and over, falling onto his knees weakly and taking the weasel down with him- who did so gently, and without protest.

Buck simply stared down at the shivering bundle of fur, and then hesitantly lifted his own arms to comfortingly hug the emotional and sick animal back. Doing his best to soothe Sid until weariness overcame the sloth and he fell asleep once more; and even then, he continued to hold him gently in his arms. Watching, and waiting for the arrival of dawn.

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A week passed since the herd's wild adventure in the lost underworld, going by in a rush. Sid, much to everyone's relief, recovered quickly from the poisoning and was soon on his feet again. Buck became an official member of the herd, joining them on their journey to the surface and destroying the lone entryway into the jurassic land. With Diego's help, who had long forgotten his concerns with going soft and losing his touch, and instead remained with the family he loved so much. As the twins began quickly teaching Peaches how to cause some playful mischief, things seemed to almost be back to normal.

Almost...

Manny watched as Sid joined in on the fun when the little mammoth played games with her uncles, gazed on as he swapped parental stories with Ellie, saw his lighthearted joking around with Diego, and observed the unhidden love and respect he held for Buck. All the while, the mammoth found himself disappointed and confused whenever his friend caught his eye…only to look the other way. The sloth was always finding something else to catch his attention, an excuse to avoid being alone in a confrontation with him.

It left Manny dumbfounded and upset.

"It might do you both a bit of good if you, I dunno, talked to him!" Buck said to him one day, having noticed the way Sid had been avoiding the leader of the herd since they had resurfaced. "You're not going to get any answers by sulking around feeling guilty and sorry for yourself, mate."

"You know why he's being like this, don't you?" Manny accused, somehow finding it easier to be mad at the weasel than to deal with the problem at hand.

"Doesn't matter if I do know or not, it's not my place to tell." The weasel replied, polishing his tooth-blade with extreme care. "Quit avoiding the issue and acting like a twat, and just ask him what's wrong."

Stunned, but knowing he was right, the mammoth gave up on the fight and sought out his friend. It wasn't long before he found the sloth sitting on a rock nearby, watching a flock of dodos in the distance with their chicks. The animal's slouched posture indicated his sadness, and there was no need to question why he was upset. "You miss them."

Startled, Sid looked over his shoulder to see Manny watching him. The mammoth was clearly concerned, but that just angered the sloth as he quickly stood up. "It would have been nice to have had a chance to say goodbye to them."

"I know, and I'm sorry."

The sloth stared, his anger growing. "Oh sure, now you are. You didn't give a darn back then, too busy accusing me of things I didn't do to care, but now that we're home you're suddenly sorry I didn't get to say goodbye to my foster kids?"

"What's gotten into you lately, Sid?" Manny asked, perplexed by his friend's attitude. "After everything we just went through together in the past week, why are you so angry at me?"

"Besides what a jerk you've been to me over the last couple of years we've known each other? Because it took my nearly dying for you to finally show me you care!" Sid snapped, his anger lightening a little as he stared at his large friend. "Even then, though, I had to be unconscious for you to open up to me. Do you have any idea how frustrating that is?"

Manny blinked; now the sloth was beginning to make sense. "With the way you've been avoiding me lately…yeah, I think it's safe to say that I can get how frustrating that can be."

"I almost convinced myself that you only let me stick around because you felt obligated to…" Sid confessed after a moment of silence, returning his gaze to the dodos.

"That's not true, not now anyway."

"With the way you've treated me, can you blame me for jumping to that conclusion?"

Manny felt ashamed as he nodded his head, also letting his eyes trail to the birds in the distance. Walking over and standing by his friend's side, he placed his trunk gently on the other animal's shoulder. "I never meant to be so reserved about my friendship with you, it just happened like that. Diego's a lot like me, so I think that's why I was able to click easier with him. And Ellie's…well, Ellie. The twins remind me of a couple of cousins of mine. But you, you're so…"

"Annoying. A thorn in your side. A chore to put up with…"

"Outgoing. You're so blatantly open with your opinions, and so eager to make friends, that I've just had a harder time opening up with you. Especially when I had made it a rule after losing Melissa and our child that I wouldn't allow myself to get close to anyone ever again." Manny finished, looking down at the sloth with hopefulness in his eyes. "I broke that rule when the three of us took care of Pinkie, and I've slowly being coming out of my shell over the years. But it's still kind of awkward for me, even with Diego and Ellie. My teasing was never meant to be hurtful you know, I just thought it would help us connect a little better. After all, you and Diego toss banter back and forth all the time."

Sid let that sink in, before looking up at the mammoth in understanding. "I guess I never thought of it like that before."

"But you were right; I was a jerk because I overdid it. I didn't stop and think that some of the things I'd say could be hurtful, and I don't think I've ever given you positive feedback on any of your ideas or contributions before." Manny added, letting out a sigh.

"You are now, and I think that's a good enough start!"

The mammoth smiled, an action mirrored by the sloth. "Friends?"

"Heck, yeah old buddy old pal!" Sid exclaimed, hugging Manny and feeling happier than he had ever felt in a long time. "I am so glad we finally talked about this, I was going to explode if we held it off for any longer."

"You kind of already did, remember?" Manny pointed out, referring to the outburst the sloth had unloaded on him right before passing out from the fever.

"Oh yeah…"

A comfortable silence fell over the two as they resumed watching the dodos, remembering the human child that had started their friendship. Both of them reflecting on the many strange things, and equally insane adventures, they'd encountered over the last couple of years. It was nearly unbelievable!

"I wonder what kind of craziness we'll get ourselves into next year?" Sid asked, smiling over the possibilities.

"I don't want to think about it, I can already feel the headache coming on." Manny joked, rubbing his forehead in emphasis. "Although, I don't think anything can top what we went through this year."

"Yeah." The sloth agreed, after thinking about it. "The near-apocalypse last year was pretty wacked out, but finding a secret dino-land really takes the prize. Maybe we should try staying in one place for a while?"

"Knowing us…I don't think that's going to make a difference."

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**Well, that's all folks! I hope everyone enjoyed the story, and will forgive me for the mushiness I stuffed it with.**


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